BUDDHIST MONKS, who took part in the ‘Dhamma Chetna Yatra’ in Kanpur on Friday, were all praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

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Bhante (monk) Shanti Mitra, who took the podium first, praised the PM for “giving extraordinary importance to Bheemrao Ambedkar by doing a lot for his hometown, which has always been neglected by other parties”.

“Modi Ne Babasaheb ke janamsthan ko sanwara. Aaj tak kisi CM ya PM ne jahan pair tak nahi rakha tha. Humne unko zimmedarian di jise unhoen nibhaya bhi hai. Aisa hi Buddha bhi karte the (Modi has transformed Babasaheb’s birthplace where no CM or PM had ever set foot. We gave him responsibilities and he performed, just like Buddha),” said Mitra, adding that “everything will be good if the king of the kingdom is spiritual”.

“The PM is taking everybody along as he works to end terrorism, communalism and Naxalism,” said Mitra.

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Bhante Arya Vansha, who played a key role in the commencement of the yatra, said: “Log sanskaar badalte nahi, sarkaar badalne se kya hoga… har shaakh pe ullu baitha hai to soch lo ki anjam e gulistan kya hoga (People who are not ready to change want to change the government… They are living in a fool’s paradise).”

He added: “We gave them cycle. We gave them elephants. The elephant went mad after coming into power while the cycle kicked on our own foot… They have turned UP into a state of drug addicts, alcoholics and terrorists… Hum khoon ki kheti karenge or pradesh ko pradushan mukta banayenge (We will toil with our blood and rid this state of all such elements).”

Bhante Panditanand, the last monk to take the stage, cited an instance — which he claimed to have seen on the television — where the Prime Minister missed two chances to kill Ravana with arrows but slayed the demon king in third attempt during his visit to Lucknow on Dussehra. The monk claimed it was Modi’s way to tell people that he is not in favour of war.